By Cydric Damala
Africa-Press – Malawi. If Malawi is genuinely committed to rescuing its democracy from decay, cleansing its elections of corruption, and burying the toxic culture of political handouts once and for all, then it must do one simple, urgent thing: fully fund the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties. Anything less is a betrayal of the very democracy we claim to defend.
The Registrar’s Office—created under the historic Political Parties Act of 2018—was one of Malawi’s bravest democratic reforms in decades. For the first time, the country built an institution with the authority to regulate political parties, enforce internal democracy, monitor campaign financing, and punish the deeply entrenched practice of distributing handouts. It was meant to introduce order where chaos reigned, fairness where money dictated outcomes, and legality where impunity had become tradition.
But even the best laws collapse into irrelevance when starved of resources. The September 2025 elections exposed this weakness with brutal clarity. Handouts flooded campaign grounds at unprecedented levels. Cash bundles, maize bags, branded goodies—openly issued, blatantly illegal, and delivered with full confidence that enforcement would never come.
This was supposed to be the Political Parties Act’s defining moment. Instead, it was a humiliating reminder that an unarmed institution cannot protect democracy.
The Registrar did not fail because it lacked courage or a mandate. It failed because it lacked capacity. An underfunded office with too few staff, no nationwide monitoring presence, and almost no operational budget stands no chance against a political machinery fueled by money and entitlement. Politicians knew this. They exploited it. They broke the law in broad daylight because the watchdog meant to stop them was effectively chained.
This is not a minor administrative oversight—it is a national risk. Electoral handouts corrupt the core of democratic choice. They distort the will of the people. They hand power to the wealthy rather than the capable. They reduce elections to marketplaces where votes are bought, not earned.
And when these violations go unanswered, trust collapses, impunity grows, and political leadership becomes a prize for the manipulative, not the visionary. No democracy can stand on foundations this compromised.
This is why resourcing the Registrar’s Office must be treated as an emergency priority. A fully capacitated Registrar has the power to reshape Malawi’s political landscape. It can monitor campaigns nationwide, investigate abuses, punish offenders, and build a political culture where citizens vote on ideas—not on handouts.
It would also strengthen political parties from within, forcing them to adhere to their constitutions, conduct credible internal elections, and manage their finances transparently. When parties behave democratically, the nation follows.
We cannot continue to condemn corruption, fraudulent elections, and poor leadership while starving the very institution designed to confront these problems at their source. Funding the Registrar is not an act of generosity. It is a constitutional obligation and a strategic investment in Malawi’s future.
Treasury must allocate and protect its budget. Parliament must demand consistent funding. Citizens must insist that electoral accountability is not optional.
If Malawi wants leaders chosen for their ideas rather than their giveaways, if it wants integrity instead of impunity, if it wants elections that reflect the true will of the people, then government must fully arm the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties.
Because without a strong Registrar, Malawi isn’t defending its democracy. It is merely pretending to have one.
Source: Malawi Nyasa Times
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